The invention herein resides in the art of balloon devices and accessories. More particularly, the invention relates to a balloon weight having multiple attachment points to tether an inflated balloon or balloons thereto in order to restrain the balloons. Specifically, the invention relates to a balloon weight having at least one attachment point to which balloons may be tied and at least one attachment point to which a bouquet of balloons may be attached to create a decorative balloon display.
Helium balloons are commonly used as decorations at parties, celebrations, and other special events. Generally, such decorative balloons are attached to stationary objects at the celebration so that they will be restrained from floating away. Particularly, helium balloons are oftentimes tied to chairs, table legs, posts, and other fixtures, as well as more mobile objects such as plant displays and small sandbags such that they are restrained from floating away and yet can be readily moved before, during, or after the festivities.
Thus, it is known to employ a weight at the end of a ribbon tethered to a balloon in order to restrain the balloon from free flight. Many of these weights are distinctively shaped to provide an ornamental display for the balloon affixed thereto. The weight is placed in a vertical position to fully display its decorative shape and the balloon extends therefrom so as to be displayed and yet restrained from free flight. Most often, it is necessary to cut a length of ribbon and physically tie one end of it to the weight and knot or otherwise attach the opposite end to the balloon in order to properly restrain the balloon. This operation can be quite time consuming.
Additionally, xe2x80x9cballoon bouquets,xe2x80x9d which should be understood as an arrangement of multiple helium balloons tied to a stationary object so as to be held in close proximity to each other, are becoming more and more popular for use as decorations. Balloon bouquets are created by separately tying the ribbons associated with each individual balloon of the bouquet to the same weighted object. Notably, no specific weight device has been provided in the prior art for this purpose, although the creation of the balloon bouquets can be extremely time consuming. Thus, there exists a need in the art for a balloon weight that can quickly and easily retain a multitude of balloons to provide a balloon bouquet.
It should also be appreciated that balloon weights are not only used because they function to restrain a balloon from free flight, but they are also used because of their aesthetic appeal and for the simple reason that they can serve as a grip for someone wanting to carry a helium balloon or balloons attached thereto. Thus, it is desirable to provide a balloon weight that is aesthetically pleasing and that can be used as a basic balloon weight as well as a weight for a balloon bouquet. Thus, there exists a need in the art for a dual function balloon weight that may serve as a common balloon weight and a balloon bouquet weight.
In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a balloon weight that can retain multiple balloons.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a balloon weight, as above, that can serve as a base from which a balloon bouquet extends.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a balloon weight, as above, wherein the balloon weight can also function as a common balloon weight wherein balloons are physically tied thereto.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a balloon weight, as above, wherein the balloon weight is sufficiently weighted so as to be able to restrain multiple balloons from free flight.
These and other objects of the present invention which will become apparent from the description that follows are achieved by a balloon weight having a base member with a first attachment point where at least one balloon can be secured to the base member and a second attachment point where at least one balloon can be secured to the base member. In one embodiment, the second attachment point includes a removable retention member that removably couples with the base member such that a multitude of ribbons associated with a multitude of respective balloons may be first tied to the retention member and then subsequently attached to the base member by connecting the retention member thereto in order to secure the balloons to the balloon weight without the need for tying each individual ribbon directly to the base member.
Other objects of the present invention are achieved by a balloon weight having a base member, a loop provided at one position on the base member where at least one balloon may be secured to the base member by tying a ribbon associated with the balloon to the loop, and a retention bar removably secured to the base member at a second position by a frictional engagement with the base member such that individual balloons may first be secured to the retention bar and then subsequently attached to the base member by connecting the retention member thereto in order to secure the balloons to the balloon weight without the need for tying each individual ribbon directly to the base member. Advantageously, the loop provided on the base member may allow the weight to be displayed in a vertical fashion by hanging the weight by the loop for display purposes.